Is it time to stand by the punch bowl?
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Greetings!
Serendipity: "a seeming gift for finding something good accidentally." Webster's New World Dictionary makes serendipity sound as if it's a natural ability or talent. I don't agree. I think that the more you practice finding something good, the less accidental serendipity becomes.
And while I'm practicing, I've found it helps to don a great attitude, too, because then I'm even more apt to recognize serendipitous opportunities when they present themselves. But just what is a great attitude?
My friend Nancy believes it's minding your P's and Q's and she doesn't mean minding your own business! She means being persistent in your efforts, having patience with the process and asking questions along the way to your goal.
For me, a great attitude also includes setting an intention that no matter whether a situation is great, awful, sublime or even ridiculous, the experience in and of itself has a purpose. It can be an insight realized, a skill learned, a person met, a next step taken or, in the case of "even ridiculous," a memory to laugh over.
Great attitudes can turn a situation into a great advantage and lead to finding something good. That's what happened for Margaret Winter, this month's Quest Maker, when she joined a Habitat for Humanity Build.
On her very first day, she was assigned the grunt job of sorting nails by a build crew largely made up of retired tradespeople, men not used to working with women. Margaret recalled her sister saying that when you don't know anyone at a party, you stand by the punchbowl. Sooner or later everyone stops by for a glass. Since everyone needs nails on a job she figured by the end of the day she'd get the chance to meet them all. Now that's a great attitude, don't you think?
Margaret then showed up the next week and the next and the next. Her persistence and her patience paid off and eventually she became one of the boys. The build site became a giant punch bowl of opportunity for Margaret, who'd just started her handywoman business, because once the ice was broken, these retired plumbers, electricians, masons and carpenters were happy to answer her questions and share the wealth of their experience.
I guess you could say that this newsletter is my punch bowl. Call it minding my P's and Q's, according to Nancy. I know that by plunking myself down beside that bowl, I keep finding something good - incredible women in their 40's and beyond who've declared "Now it's my time" who graciously agree to be interviewed. My dream has become a reality.
What about you? Is it time to stand by the punch bowl and move your dream another step forward? If you do, who knows what serendipitous opportunities await you?
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Interview with Quest Maker Margaret Winter
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Who would have thought that hammers and nails would have anything in common with feathers, netting and glue? To Margaret Winter, they're different facets of the same thing - helping women feel better about themselves. At age 55, Margaret asked to be laid off from her job. Following her hands and her interests into the world of home improvement and, serendipitously, into the world of fascinators has led to a life that is a million times better than the world of publishing that she left behind. (Photo: © Juliette Coughlin)
At what point in your life did you embark on your journey?
I had been working in publishing for more than 24 years and during that time there were 8-9 restructurings. Every time we restructured, I absorbed someone else's job. l'd begun losing my hearing and being in sales was becoming increasingly difficult as a result. About 2 years ago, I just couldn't take it anymore. So at age 55 I asked: "Can you please lay me off this time?" I wasn't sure what I would do.
How did your quest unfold?
Right after I was officially not working, I went back to school for graphic design. One of the classes was just design and I kept finding that the products I was creating were home designs. That morphed into the handywoman because I had always been the person everyone called up with a project to do. At the time I was also working on a Habitat for Humanity WomenBuild and loving it. I was actually born on a construction site; my family lived in the basement while my parents built the house above us. So home improvement is in my blood.
In no way was the schooling a waste because I use those skills all the time when I make a floor plan and it sharpened my eye. I used the graphic design to make myself a business card with a logo of a pair of hands. It really does all fit together.
For about 3 months after finishing school, I worked for free to make sure I knew what I was doing. I was able to hone my skills and work slowly at the beginning. Then in August 2007 I started my business. I also worked on renovating a house in Portland for a friend of mine. I would travel to Portland for about one week every other month. As the work progressed, I still did a lot of physical work and designing, but I switched to overseeing the general contractor and helped my friend find tradespeople.
Being a handy woman is a spurty kind of thing and I sometimes wonder "no one is ever going to call again." Yet I couldn't stop being a handywoman because of the Portland job. I couldn't stop working on that 100 year old house in a historic neighborhood. That was not most people's first project, and besides, when I was there I could make a month's worth of money in a week's time.
How did you make time for your dream?
By getting laid off! I was fortunate that I worked for a major company for years and was able to leave with a severance package so I had the luxury of not needing income right away.
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February Journal Sparker
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With
its questions and exercises, think of a Journal Sparker as a spark for
reflection or action that can help you take the next step on your
journey to where you want to be.
A great attitude does much more than turn on the lights in our worlds; it seems to magically connect us to all sorts of serendipitous opportunities that were somehow absent before the change.
-Earl Nightengale We never know when life will connect us with one of those serendipitous opportunities. A great attitude made a difference for Margaret on her journey to being a handywoman and an "over the top" fascinator creator. In this
month's Journal Sparker you'll find some suggestions for connecting with those opportunities, especially when you stand by the punch bowl. We've also created a cover
sheet if you would like to begin a binder for your Journal Sparkers. |
| Do you know a Quest Maker, a woman who has realized her dream?
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Do you know a woman in her 40s or beyond who declared "now it's my
time," and realized her dream, just like Hilary Cooper-Kenny has done? Perhaps she's a friend, a family member, an
acquaintance. Perhaps it's you! If she or you would like to considered for an upcoming Quest Maker column in the Chronicles, please send me an email with a brief description and the best way to reach her.
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| Need an idea spark to ignite your own quest?
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Have you decided that now it's your time to claim your own realm and undertake your own voyage of discovery? Except you're not exactly sure how (or even where) to start?You may need an Idea Sparker to help you figure it out. That's where I can help. Learn more about me at www.yournextquest.com.Take the next step with a free 15-minute consultation with me. We'll talk about where you are now and where you want to be and how I can help you get there.
Learn more about how I can help you at www.yournextquest.com. Start your journey now by contacting me at info@yournextquest.com or by calling me at 781.583.7185.Together, we can start you on the journey to where you want to be!
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